Ardashir I

Ardashir I (180-242) was the first Emperor of the Sassanid Empire from 224 to 242, preceding Shapur I. He overthrew Parthia after overthrowing the government, and the Sassanids ruled Persia until 651.

Biography
Ardashir was the grandson of the priest Sasan, and he became the Argbadh of Darabgerd, extending his rule to the rest of Pars by killing other princes with the help of Papak, his father. Ardashir's conquest of Artabanus V of Parthia's vassals led to Artabanus leading an army to put down his uprising, but the Battle of Hormozdgan in 224 was a great victory for Ardashir, who slew Artabanus and became the first Emperor of the new Sassanid Empire, which replaced Parthia. He proceeded to conquer the rest of Iran, parts of Turkmenistan, and northern Iraq, but he failed to conquer Armenia. Ardashir rebuilt Seleucia - which the Roman Empire had destroyed in 165 - as Veh-Ardashir, and the city became a suburb of his new capital of Ctesiphon. In 240, he was crowned "King of Kings", and he died in 242.